It was open day at “Merigal”, Bargo at lunchtime I sat on a garden seat inside one of the grassy dingo exercise yards, and to my surprise Margaret Fulton joined me. Or at least she shared the seat, and we proceeded to unwrap our lunches. I was somewhat embarrassed that my modest egg sandwiches would hardly meet Margaret’s standard, but I doubt that she looked in their direction and I eventually relaxed and enjoyed a chat with a very lovely lady.
Time to go and say goodbye to the two young dingoes whose yard we were lunching in; so, I reached under the seat for my smart America straw “sun-helmet” (pith helmet style) to find it missing! I retrieved it upside down under the nearby trees with its adjustable leather style headband completely removed and not to be seen! It had been deftly picked out from the hat, detaching it from the four eyelets which held it in, with no damage to the hat itself. A very skilful execution!
We found the remains of the band eventually and the makers name and address was still clearly visible. I wrote to them in America politely telling them my story and asking whether I could purchase a replacement headband. Within three weeks a box was delivered to my door, cleared by customs and with an accompanying letter containing TWO brand new Sun Faris!! They actually apologised for the band not being “real leather”, saying they had considered it but it was too costly! The Americans are supposedly insistent on good service and this certainly left a huge impression on me. I had bought the hat at a rather upmarket shop in Woollahra, Sydney with some birthday money. Later I discovered that the volunteers at our Olympic Games were all supplied with the same hats, no expense spared and a really great fit and protection from our sun. they also said they hadn’t thought to make the hats dog proof.
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